What I found particularly interesting was the astonishing efficacy of The Link in the context of the Netgear switch. In this scenario it was genuinely transformative, which really underlines the significance of and damage done by induced noise in audio networks. It also underlines the circumstantial rules that govern the network domain and just how different that domain is to the more familiar world of digital audio. Just because something works in the context of digital audio data transfer, don’t assume it will also work in the network domain. So, where jitter and timing consistency across components is a critical factor in digital audio, it is almost entirely (and by definition) irrelevant to the network domain, where induced, self-generated and transmitted noise are the great enemies – not of data integrity but to the performance of the digital to analogue circuitry to which the network connects. “But”, I hear the nay-sayers squawk, “How come I hear a benefit when I connect an external clock to my switch?” Easy! The superior clock is generating less noise. Things ain’t always what they seem and in the world of audio networks, the rules are very different indeed. Rules that allow products like Aardvark’s The Link to punch well above their weight (and price). The company says that The Link is the best they can possibly do, pointing to the intricate, hand-assembly required to maximise the performance of each cable. Precise and painstaking it may be, but Aardvark’s best is pretty darned good!
Manufacturer:
Aardvark
Prices and availability
USA
Liquid Hi-Fi
Charlotte, NC
ron@liquidhifi.com
The Link $1,899 (plus sales tax)
Aardvark Ultra $899 (plus sales tax)
United Kingdom
MusicWorks (UK) Ltd
Cheadle, Cheshire
The Link £1,999 (inc. 20% sales tax)
Aardvark Ultra £999 (inc. 20% sales tax)
